Praised for her silvery-voiced soprano… (Seen and Heard International), Victoria Okafor is steadily making a name for herself in the world of classical music. She has sung with companies such as Washington National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Cincinnati Opera, Opera Birmingham and Opera Columbus. Ms. Okafor’s 2019 season included her debut with Cincinnati Opera as Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro followed by the role of Alesha in the new opera Blind Injustice. The role of Alesha was created by Ms. Okafor during the opera’s original workshop at Cincinnati Opera. She has also originated the roles of Wilhelmina in Gregory Spears’s Castor and Patience, Nyomi in William Menefield’s Fierce, and Laura in Kevin Puts’s The Hours. The Hours will premiere at the Metropolitan Opera and star singers Renee Fleming, Joyce DiDonato, and Kelli O’Hara.
Ms. Okafor’s 2020 season would have included Mendelsohnn’s Elijah with the Hilton Head Symphony, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte with CCM Opera and again as a cover with Santa Fe Opera. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these engagements were canceled or postponed. However, during the height of the pandemic, Ms. Okafor enjoyed being a part of numerous projects like Angela Brown’s Opera From A Sistah’s Point Of View, Cincinnati Opera at 100 with Cincinnati Opera and the Mozart Requiem with the Kentucky Symphony as a featured soloist. She also competed in the Kentucky District for the Metropolitan National Council Competition and received an encouragement award.
One of the highlights of Ms. Okafor’s 2021 season was placing second in the prestigious Lotte Lenya Competition. The finals took place in New York city after the cancellation of the competition in 2020 due to COVID-19. With over 600 applicants, she made it to the finals and sang for renowned Broady music director and conductor Andy Einhorn, Tony Award-winning actress, singer, and director Victoria Clarke, and Obie Award-winning actress and singer, Mary Beth Peil. Ms. Okafor also had the opportunity to return to her alma mater, Shenandoah Conservatory, to perform Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Shenandoah Symphony as well as William Grant Still’s From the Hearts of Women.
In 2022, Ms. Okafor has had a full season with 2 role debuts, concert and recital engagements. She was set to do another workshop of The Hours with The Metropolitan Opera in January but the workshop was canceled due to COVID-19 Omicron outbreak. However, Ms. Okafor was able to revisit the role of Laura again when she covered Kelli O’Hara in the concert version of The Hours with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of world renown conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Ms. Okafor also premiered the role of Wilhelmina in Gregory Spears and Tracy K. Smith’s new opera Castor and Patience. The opera received rave reviews and media coverage from the Wall Street Journal, NPR, Washington Post and more.
Ms. Okafor will be starting off her 2023 season as a soloist for Mendelsohnn’s Elijah with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra followed by performances of La Cenerentola with Kentucky Opera. A native to the DC/Maryland area, Ms. Okafor holds degrees from Shenandoah Conservatory and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with a BM in voice performance, an MM in voice performance and an AD in opera performance.